Steel Type Weakness
Steel is weak to Fire, Fighting and Ground. Check every Steel matchup, 4× dual-type weaknesses and the best counters below.
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Quick Answer: What Is Steel Weak To?
Steel-type Pokémon are weak to Fire, Fighting and Ground. These attacking types deal 2× damage to a pure Steel type. Steel resists Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel and Fairy and is immune to Poison.
What Is Steel Weak To in Pokémon?
Steel is the best defensive type in the game, with 10 resistances and an immunity to Poison.
A pure Steel-type Pokémon takes 2× damage from these attacking types:
- Fire (2×): common moves include Flamethrower and Fire Blast. See how Fire works in the Fire type guide.
- Fighting (2×): common moves include Close Combat and Drain Punch. See how Fighting works in the Fighting type guide.
- Ground (2×): common moves include Earthquake and Earth Power. See how Ground works in the Ground type guide.
The final result changes when a Steel Pokémon has a second type. Some combinations add a 4× weakness, and others cancel one of the weaknesses above. Use the checker at the top of this page for exact numbers.
Steel Type Strengths
Steel-type moves are super effective (2×) against:
Ice Rock Fairy
Not very effective (½×) against: Fire Water Electric Steel
Steel Type Resistances and Immunities
Resists (takes ½× damage from): Normal Grass Ice Flying Psychic Bug Rock Dragon Steel Fairy
Immune to (takes no damage from): Poison
Steel has 3 weaknesses, 10 resistances and 1 immunity in the current type chart.
Steel Type Traits and Battle Mechanics
- Steel types are immune to Poison-type moves and cannot be poisoned unless the attacker has Corrosion.
- Steel types take no damage from sandstorm.
- Steel resisted Ghost and Dark moves from Gen 2 to Gen 5. Since Gen 6, those moves hit Steel for normal damage.
- Steel is super effective against Ice, Rock and Fairy, making it one of the main answers to Fairy types.
Steel Type Weaknesses for Dual-Type Pokémon
A second type can add a 4× weakness, cancel one of Steel’s normal weaknesses, or give an extra immunity. This table covers every Steel dual-type combination that exists in the games, with real Pokémon examples.
| Type combo | Example Pokémon | 4× weak to | 2× weak to | Immune to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel Fire | Heatran, Mega Heatran | Ground | Water Fighting | Poison |
| Steel Water | Empoleon | None | Electric Fighting Ground | Poison |
| Steel Electric | Magnemite, Magneton, Magnezone | Ground | Fire Fighting | Poison |
| Steel Grass | Ferroseed, Ferrothorn, Kartana | Fire | Fighting | Poison |
| Steel Ice | Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Sandslash | Fire Fighting | Ground | Poison |
| Steel Fighting | Lucario, Cobalion, Mega Lucario | None | Fire Fighting Ground | Poison |
| Steel Poison | Varoom, Revavroom | Ground | Fire | Poison |
| Steel Ground | Steelix, Excadrill, Iron Treads | None | Fire Water Fighting Ground | Electric Poison |
| Steel Flying | Skarmory, Celesteela, Corviknight | None | Fire Electric | Poison Ground |
| Steel Psychic | Beldum, Metang, Metagross | None | Fire Ground Ghost Dark | Poison |
| Steel Bug | Forretress, Scizor, Escavalier | Fire | None | Poison |
| Steel Rock | Aron, Lairon, Aggron | Fighting Ground | Water | Poison |
| Steel Ghost | Honedge, Doublade, Aegislash | None | Fire Ground Ghost Dark | Normal Fighting Poison |
| Steel Dragon | Dialga, Duraludon, Archaludon | None | Fighting Ground | Poison |
| Steel Dark | Pawniard, Bisharp, Kingambit | Fighting | Fire Ground | Poison Psychic |
| Steel Fairy | Mawile, Klefki, Magearna | None | Fire Ground | Poison Dragon |
Watch out for 4× weaknesses: Steel/Fire (Heatran) takes 4× from Ground, Steel/Electric (Magneton) takes 4× from Ground, Steel/Grass (Ferrothorn) takes 4× from Fire, Steel/Ice (Alolan Sandshrew) takes 4× from Fire and Fighting, Steel/Poison (Revavroom) takes 4× from Ground, Steel/Bug (Scizor) takes 4× from Fire, Steel/Rock (Lairon) takes 4× from Fighting and Ground and Steel/Dark (Bisharp) takes 4× from Fighting.
Combos that cancel a Steel weakness: Steel/Fire is no longer weak to Fire, Steel/Water is no longer weak to Fire, Steel/Grass is no longer weak to Ground, Steel/Poison is no longer weak to Fighting, Steel/Flying is no longer weak to Fighting and Ground, Steel/Psychic is no longer weak to Fighting, Steel/Bug is no longer weak to Fighting and Ground, Steel/Rock is no longer weak to Fire, Steel/Ghost is no longer weak to Fighting, Steel/Dragon is no longer weak to Fire and Steel/Fairy is no longer weak to Fighting.
Best Pokémon to Use Against Steel Types
The safest counters hit Steel Pokémon for super effective damage and also resist Steel-type attacks. These popular Pokémon do both:
| Pokémon | Types | Hits Steel with (2×) | Takes from Steel moves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Rotom | Electric Fire | Fire | ¼× |
| Swampert | Water Ground | Ground | ½× |
| Gastrodon | Water Ground | Ground | ½× |
| Volcarona | Bug Fire | Fire | ½× |
| Iron Hands | Fighting Electric | Fighting | ½× |
| Houndoom | Dark Fire | Fire | ½× |
Before you switch in, check the opponent’s second type and its coverage moves. Tap any Pokémon to see its full matchup in the calculator.
About This Guide
Written and maintained by Mical Boje, who has been playing Pokémon games for more than 10 years. All matchups, tables and examples on this page come from the same data that powers the Pokémon Type Calculator.
- Rules used: the current type chart, from Gen 6 (X and Y) to Scarlet and Violet.
- Sources: the official main-series games, cross-checked with Bulbapedia’s Steel type page. Pokémon types and forms come from PokéAPI.
- Last updated:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Steel weak to in Pokémon?
Steel is weak to Fire, Fighting and Ground. Each of these deals 2× damage to a pure Steel-type Pokémon.
What is Steel strong against?
Steel-type moves are super effective against Ice, Rock and Fairy.
What does Steel resist?
Steel resists Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel and Fairy, and it is immune to Poison.
Which Steel dual types have a 4× weakness?
Steel/Fire (Heatran) is 4× weak to Ground, Steel/Electric (Magneton) is 4× weak to Ground, Steel/Grass (Ferrothorn) is 4× weak to Fire, Steel/Ice (Alolan Sandshrew) is 4× weak to Fire and Fighting, Steel/Poison (Revavroom) is 4× weak to Ground, Steel/Bug (Scizor) is 4× weak to Fire, Steel/Rock (Lairon) is 4× weak to Fighting and Ground and Steel/Dark (Bisharp) is 4× weak to Fighting.
What is the best counter to Steel-type Pokémon?
Pokémon that resist Steel moves and hit back super effectively work best, such as Heat Rotom, Swampert, Gastrodon and Volcarona.
Why is Steel the best defensive type?
Steel resists 10 types (Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel and Fairy), is immune to Poison and has only three weaknesses: Fire, Fighting and Ground.
Other Type Weakness Guides
Need the whole picture? See the complete Pokémon Type Chart or the overview of all 18 type weaknesses.